Bookholdeb



Jan. 27, 193.1. K. UHNAU 0,

300K HOLDER Filed Aug. 27, 1950 2 sheds-sheet 1 I l I /2 INYENTOR.

z/12. w WM W1 ATTORNEY.

Jan. 27, 1931. K. RUHNAU l.790,487

BOOK HOLDER Filed Aug. 2'7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

.Kaiie Ruhmw ATTORN EY.

Patented .1 2111427, 1931 UNITED STATES KATIE RUHNAU, or Kansas crrY, MISSOURI BOOKHOLDER Application filed August 27, 1920. Serial No. 478,005.

My invention relates to devices for holding books, manuscripts, etc, in a convenient position so that their contents can be readily copied with a typewriting machine, and the device, generally speaking, includes a base which may be set upon a desk or table, a back plate mounted upon said base and adapted to coact therewith in supporting the writing to be copied, and means adjustably mounted upon the base and said back plate, for reliably holding books of difierent sizes in open position, or for holding the manuscript, etc.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing an open book in position thereon in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a broken cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a supplemental leaf holder.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the device. Fig. 5 is a'detail perspective view of the main leaf holder and a line indicator.

Fig. 6 isa cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig.7 is a front elevation of a modified form of clamp applied to the upper portion of the back plate. r

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the parts shown by Fig. 7 V

Referring in detail to the difierent parts, 2 designates the base of the device which may be setupon a desk,table, or other support. The top portion 4 of the base 2 slopes downwardly to a shoulder 6 at the rear portion of s'aid'base and isprovided with a plurality of parallel slots 8, spaced uniform distances apart and extending forwardly from the shoulder 6 to a slot 10 paralleling the front portion of the base 2. The top of the base 2 is provided at its underside with parallel ribs 12 located midway between the slots 8 as shown by Fig. 2. n g

14 designates the main leaf holder of the device. The front'portion of the standard 15 forming a part of said leaf holder 14- is concaved as indicated at 16 for the'reception of the adjacent portion of the sleeve 18 of a line indicator 20. The sleeve 18 is slidably mountedupon a spring rod 21 which presses it into frictional engagement with the concaved surface 16 for the purpose of holding said sleeve 18 at any point of its vertical adjustment. V

The upper portion of the rod 21 is bent as indicated at 22 and secured in a lug'24 projecting forwardly from the upper end of the standard 15, which latter is provided at its lower end with an integral foot piece 26 held in frictional engagement with the'under surface of the top portion 4 of the base 2 by resilient means such, for instance, as the springplate 28 shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 4, The spring plate 28 is secured within the base 2 by'suitable means such as screws 29.'

3O designates. a back plate which slopes downwardly and forwardly and rests upon the top of the base 2 where it is firmly held in position by. suitable means such as screws 81 threaded into the front side of the shoulder 6. Said back plate 30 is further secured in position by'means of an integral flange .32 which overlaps the shoulder 6 as shown by Figs. 1 and- 4. The back plate 30 is provided near its upper and lower ends with horizontally-disposed slots 34 and 36 through which the upper and lower portions, respectively, of sheets of'paper A may be passed as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 4, when said sheets are of unusual length, but when they do not exce'ed the length of the back plate 30 they may beheld in place by means ofa suitable clamp 38. Said clamp 38 is adjustably mounted in 2. lug 40 projecting from the upper rear portion of the back plate 30 so that said clamp may be adjusted to the inactive position shown by Fig. 1, or to the active po sition shown by ig. 4.

42 designates a pair of supplemental leaf holders'for cooperating with the main leaf holder in holding the sheets A or the book B. Each leaf holder 42 consists of an upwardly projecting finger 44 and an integral foot piece 46 which latter is of the sameisize and shape as the foot piece 26 of the main leaf N holder. The foot pieces 26 and 46 are pref erably of rectangular shape as shown in order to cooperate with the ribs 12 in preventing the standard 15 and the fingers 44; from turning in the slots 8 and 10.

In practice the foot pieces 26 and 46 are positioned between the top 1 and the spring plate 28, which latter holds said foot pieces in frictional engagement with the under surface of said top 4 so that they will remain in the different positions in whichthey may be placed. hen it is desired to hold a book such as indicated by dotted lines B, in open position the standard 15 is adjusted to the central slot 8 and then pushed rearward'ly against the middle portion of the open book. The book is then held from partly closing around the standard 15 by means of the leaf holders 42. If the book is a large one the leaf holders 42 are adjusted into the two endmost slots 8, but if the book is of small size said leaf holders 42 are adjusted into the two intermediate slots 8 at opposite sides of the central slot through which the standard 15 projects. The blade 19 ofthe line indicator 20 is then swung to the right or left and adjusted vertically upon the rod 20 to bring it into position beneath each line of the subject matter to be copied.

If the subject matter is printed or written upon sheets of paper the leaf holder 42 in the left hand slot 8 is adjusted to the right hand portion ofthe slot 10 so that the standard 15 with the line indicator 20 may be ad justed to hold the left side of said sheets. The leaf holder 42 in the right hand slot 8 is left in place for holdingthe lower right hand portions of the sheets, while the clamp 38 is adjusted to active position for coacting with the standard 15 in holding the upper portions of the sheets against the back plate 30. If the sheets are longer than the back plate 30 they may be secured in place, as hereinbefore stated, by passing their upper and lower portions through the slots 34 and 36, respectively. If preferred the clamp 38a disclosed by Figs. 7 and 8 at the upper portion of the back plate 30a may be substituted for the clamp 38.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided a device which is well adapted for the purpose intended, and while I have shown one form of said device and two forms of clamps, I reserve all rights to such other forms and modifications properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a slot extending rearwardly therein, a standard adj ustably mounted in said slot, a foot piece at the lower end of said standard, resilient means frictionally engaging said foot piece for holding the standard at any point of its adjustment, and a member extending upwardly from the base for coacting with the latter and said standard in holding books or sheets.

2. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a slot extending rearwardly therein, a standard adjustably mounted in said slot, a foot piece at the lower end of said standard, resilient means frictionally engaging said foot piece for holding the standard at any point of its adjustment, a member extending upwardly from the base for coacting with the latter and said standard in holding books or sheets, and a leaf holder adjustably mounted on the base.

3. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a slot extending rearwardly therein, a leaf holder adj ustably mounted in said slot, a foot piece at the lower end of said leaf holder,resilient means frictionally engaging said foot piece for holding the leaf holder at any point of its adjustment, and a member extending upwardly from the base for coacting with the latter and said leaf holder in holding books or sheets.

4. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a plurality of intersecting slots, a standard adapted to be shifted from one slot to another, a foot piece at the lower end ofisaid standard, spring means underlying the slots and frictionally engaging said foot piece, and supporting means extending upwardly from the rear portion of said base.

5. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a plurality of intersecting slots, a leaf holder adapted to be shifted from one slot to another, a foot piece at the lower end of said leaf holder, spring means underlying the slots and frictionally engaging said foot piece, and supporting means extending upwardly from the rear portion of said base.

6. A device of the character described consisting of'a base having a plurality of rearwardly extending parallel slots and a transverse slot communicating with the forward ends of said rearwardly extending slots, a standard adapted to be shifted from one slot to another, frictional means for holding said standard at any point to which it may be shifted, and book or sheetsupporting means extending upwardly from the base.

7. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a plurality of rear wardly extending slots and a transverse slot communicating with the forward ends of said rearwardly extending slots, a leaf holder adapted to be shifted from one slot to another, frictional means for holding said leaf holder at any point to which it may be shifted, and book or sheet supporting means extending upwardly from the base.

8. A device of the character described con- I sisting of a base having a plurality of'rearwardly extending slots and a slot intersecting the same, a standard adapted to be shifted from one slot to another, a rectangular foot piece at the lower end of said standard, ribs on the base for preventing rotation of said foot piece, spring means frictionally engaging said foot piece, and book or sheet supporting means extending upwardly from the base.

9. A device of the character described conconsisting of a base having a plurality of intersecting slots, a standard adapted to be shifted from one slot to another without removal from said slots, means for holding said standard at any point to which it is shifted, and a back plate extending upwardly from the base.

10. A device of the character described consisting of a base having a plurality of intersecting slots, leaf holders adapted to be shifted from one slot to another without removal from said slots, means for holding said leaf holders at any point to which they are shifted,

and a back plate extending upwardly fromthe base.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

7 KATIE RUHNAU. 

